Centre neglecting needs of Kerala regarding infrastructure development: CM Pinarayi Vijayan

The central government has changed its stance and was ignoring the needs of the state with regard to infrastructure development projects, like the SilverLine, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Tuesday.

The Chief Minister, while inaugurating a protest against the Centre’s alleged stand of neglecting the needs of the state, said the improvements in the health and education sectors in Kerala was a thorn in the side of its detractors which includes the UDF-led opposition as well as the BJP here.

He said projects like the SilverLine which the Centre had initially supported was now being ignored probably due to the BJP in Kerala’s opposition to the project.

The SilverLine, a semi-high speed rail line connecting Thiruvananthapuram with Kasaragod which would reduce the travel time between the two ends of the state to four hours, was environment friendly as it was not going to pass through any wildlife areas and would reduce carbon emissions in the state as goods too can be transported on that, instead of by road, the Chief Minister said.

He said various kinds of assistance states expect to receive from the Centre were being delayed or not being provided as it was Kerala.

He said the protest was being organised to highlight the neglect being faced by the state and expressed hope that the Centre would change its stance.